


Love is for the Living

by kawaiikanai



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 03:45:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3676158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawaiikanai/pseuds/kawaiikanai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil isn’t all too happy about the arranged marriage his parents have planned for him. When he runs off together his thoughts, he meets an other-worldly young man that helps him face his fears.</p>
<p>Movie: Corpse Bride</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love is for the Living

My palms are sweating profusely and my legs won’t stop shaking, making the wine in the cup I’m holding slosh around. I’d give anything to not be here right now, standing next to this stranger at the altar. Yes, I want to help my family’s debt but not at the price of marrying someone I only met today! Couldn’t I just find a job somewhere and help them build it back slowly or something?

“Philip!”

I jump, snapping out of my daze and looking at the pastor. His eyes pierce through me, surely annoyed. “It is your turn.”

“R-right.” I turn towards my soon to be wife, taking her hand. “With this, um, cup… I will-“

“No, not yet!” The pastor roars, pointing to our hands, “The beginning is ‘with this hand I will lift your sorrows’. Get it right, lad.”

“Sorry…” I swallow, trying again. “With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your… wine? What’s that even mean?”

The young lady sighs, letting her hand fall from my grasp. Everyone else groans with her, tired of sitting and watching me utterly fail. This is only the practice run through our vows; I shudder to think of how I’ll do in a few days…

“Do you not want to be married?” The pastor bellows, my parents giving me a stern look while my counterpart’s parents shake their heads in disappointment. If they don’t like me so much they shouldn’t have approved of this marriage in the first place.

“I just- I do, but not-“ Not like this. Not forced for purposes other than love. That’s what marriage is all about, isn’t it?

I hear a shriek and I turn to the young madam, her jumping away from me and looking down at her dress. I hadn’t noticed myself tipping the goblet, spilling the red liquid onto her perfectly white dress. Her parents stand up, calling for their help to grab some water and cloth before it stains. I quickly set the cup down on the altar before I can do anymore damage, stepping back and away from the crowd milling around her, all of them trying to help. I’m of no more use here; I might as well get out of everyone’s way. I quietly slip out the door and leave, needing fresh air.

It doesn’t take my wandering long to lead me to the forest just outside the town, traipsing through dead leaves and through bushes. Bats fly high overhead, their squeaking echoing through the trees. I find a large stump to sit on, resting my elbows on my knees and hanging my head. If only I could actually marry someone I love; then I’d at least be enthusiastic about all of this.

I reach into the pocket of my suit, retrieving the silver ring that will inevitably seal my fate. It’s odd that such a small thing can hold so much meaning. If only I could give it to someone who meant something to me. I imagine them being kind, funny, smart; able to brighten my day simply by being by my side.

I stand up, feet leading me down the woodland path. “With this hand,” I gesture, “I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine.” I’m still not all too sure what that means, but whatever. “With this candle,” I pretend to hold up a candle, “I will light your way into darkness.” I spot an odd looking branch sticking out of the ground, twig pointed right towards me. I kneel down in front of it, slipping the ring onto the stick. “With this ring, I ask you to be mine.”

If only I could perform these vows to someone who would appreciate them…

An odd cracking sound catches my attention, looking to the ground beside the branch. It shifts and moves, surprising me and making me fall backwards. I reach for the branch, trying to grab the ring back but my hand stops, swearing I just saw it move. More crackling and rumbling occur and I decide it’s much too dangerous to stay, flipping over and trying to get on my feet. Before I can get my balance, something grabs me and I scream, turning to find that there is no longer a branch, but a skeletal arm grabbing the bottom of my trousers. I try to kick it away but to no avail.

The rumbling in the ground stops as something emerges from it and it takes me a moment to realize it’s a head. Big, round eyes stare through hair and dirt at me, making my heart pound in my ears. I need to get out of here. I must get back into town where it’s safe from… whatever undead being this is.

The figure looks like it’s trying to move but is stuck, bone fingers finally letting go of my pants and trying to lift itself out of the dirt. It struggles a while and I know I should be fleeing but I can’t move, frozen in fear. It stops, turning towards me again. “Can you help me?”

Its voice sounds like any other, no gravely or demonic undertones as I imagined but actually quite light. “I-I, uh…”

“Please,” it begs, trying to dig the dirt away from around its chest but it just keeps settling back down. “I’m stuck.”

My kindness overthrows my better judgment and I come closer, cautiously holding out a hand. The creature holds out its boney hand again and I flinch, not wanting to touch it. It notices and offers me its other hand, pulling as hard as I can until I end up falling on my bum.

“Sorry.” It says, then turns back. “Oh, damn it.” It crawls back over to the dirt hole and I see that one of its legs are missing. It sticks and arm inside, fishing around. As I watch it search I realize that it’s not an ‘it’ but a ‘he’. He’s wearing an older fashioned suit minus the jacket, now ruined with dirt and holes. He comes back up, holding up his missing leg triumphantly. He sticks the end of it inside his torn pant leg and making a clicking sound before he sighs with relief. “Ah, much better.”

“Who… who are you?” I ask, looking over his face, noticing he’s a man not much younger than myself. His face looks like a normal boys, save for the deathly pallor. He’s actually quite good looking, bones aside.

“I’m Daniel.” He smiles, sitting down in front of me. “What’s your name?”

“Philip.” I answer, still trying to calm myself down. I’m sitting in the middle of the woods, at night, with some man who has risen from the dead. This is the most terrifying and exciting thing that has ever happened to me. “What are you doing out in these woods?”

“Well, I could ask you the same thing.” He laughs, then shrugs, mouth twisting to the side. “I was buried here.”

That doesn’t seem right; there’s a perfectly good cemetery between here and the town. Why would he be buried out here?

“So, did you mean it?” He asks, leaning forward a bit.

“Mean what?”

“You proposed to me!” He exclaims, moving closer to me, hands almost crawling in between my legs and I lean away. “You said those pretty vows and then put the ring on my finger.”

“I…” I didn’t actually propose to him! I was just reciting them and practicing, I’m not ready to marry him or that other lady or anyone right now! “I wasn’t really- I’m sorry, but I didn’t mean…”

He sits back on his legs, shoulders slumping. “I didn’t think so. Why would anyone propose to me?”

I open my mouth then close it, not sure what to say. “I’m sure someone would.”

“Who would marry me like this?” He gestures to himself, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers. “I’m dead. Love is for the living.”

I look down at my hands, fiddling with the buttons on my jacket. “It’s not so easy to find love for the living, either.”

He looks confused, “Why would it be hard? There are so many people to meet and get to know.”

I shrug. “I won’t be able to.” I tell him, “I’m being forced to marry someone I don’t even know.”

He cocks his head. “Well maybe you should get to know them. You may like them.”

He’s right, honestly. As soon as I heard about my arranged marriage I’ve let the news hang over my head like a dark cloud, keeping me from finding any sort of good side to my situation. I don’t know my bride-to-be, but she may be quite nice. We might even have things in common. “Maybe I’ll try.”

Daniel smiles sadly, “I’m glad you can find happiness. My time has passed.”

“Aren’t there others… like you?” I asks, “You know, dead?”

“Yes, but they’re all down stairs,” He points to the ground, “whereas I’m stuck up here. I don’t know how to go back without having to pass on.”

I’ve heard of that before, troubled souls stuck on earth because they have unfinished business or lingering emotions. “What would make you pass on?”

Daniel stands up, brushing off some dirt, not that it helped much. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t think I ever will.”

“Humor me.” I say, wanting to know just what sort of attachments a young man could possibly have here.

He holds himself, eyes cast downward. “I want to feel loved. Just once.” He explains, “I never felt it when I was alive.”

I step closer, hesitating before placing a hand on his cold arm. “Not even from your parents?”

He shakes his head. “I had so many other siblings and they were so busy, they rarely had time for me. When I was mugged and killed, dragged into the woods to be buried, I waited for them. I listened for them searching for me, calling my name, but I was met with silence. No one tried to find me. They didn’t notice that I was gone, or maybe they just didn’t care.”

I squeeze his arm, wondering if he can even feel it. “I’m sure, if you had lived, you would have found someone to love and to love you. You seem like a charming young man and are very handsome.”

He looks at me, hand touching mine and I can’t help but get a chill down my spine. “Do you think you could have loved me?” He wonders.

My words catch in my throat, debating on how to answer. I suppose, given the right circumstances, I could have met him and gotten to know him. I may have even come to love him. “I think, if we met, I could have.” I assure him.

He smiles fondly, seeming soothed by words. He pulls my hand from his arm, taking both and holding them tightly. He then closes his eyes, chin lifted towards me and lips almost parting. Never in my life would I have guessed I’d be standing here with a dead man wanting me to kiss him. The thought in itself is disgusting, but I try to keep it at bay. He’s not just some abomination of nature; he was once a normal man, needing love. I may not be able to give him that properly, but I can at least give him a taste of it.

I close the gap between us, shutting my eyes tight and pressing my lips to his. They feel like normal lips, not that I’ve kissed anyone else before, and are freezing cold. I feel his mouth curl up just before pulling away. I open my eyes and am met with nothing. I scan over the hills and through the trees around me, but Daniel is nowhere in sight. Had I imagined him in my flustered state?

I hear a tinkling sound at my feet and I look down, the silver ring gleaming at me. I pick it up, turning it over in my fingers before putting it back in my pocket. I take a deep breath, ready to make my way out of the forest and back home to face my family, old and new. As I get to the edge of the forest wind blows past me, whistling in my ears. It carries with it a voice, a light, sweet whisper of ‘thank you’.


End file.
